People often ask, “Why are they called Uglies? They’re not ugly!” It’s true – by most standards, these increasingly popular practice suits are anything but ugly. So how did the unique name come about? This is their story…
At the start of the new millennium, Dolfin was offering its close-out prints to team dealers at promotional prices. Internally, the Dolfin sales and marketing team referred to these prints as “Uglies” because they were the ones that didn’t sell during the main season. However, when offered at promotional prices, these suits were very well received and actually ended up in high demand.
This got Dolfin’s design team thinking. Maybe this concept could be translated into a line of fun practice suits! Everyone knows swim team practices are tough and sometimes boring. Maybe these bright, wild, seemingly ugly prints could spice up the pool a little and help swimmers have more fun while they train.
Beginning with previously existing prints, Dolfin introduced 3 new thin-strap prints into its 2002 line that were a bit more fashion oriented than competition. The market was intrigued by these new and different suits, and interest continued to grow. The design team could tell this group was going to take off and decided it needed a name. Since the original inspiration for these suits came from those close-out prints that were referred to as “Uglies”, that immediately came to mind.
In 2003, Dolfin introduced 6 new prints and the Uglies brand name became official. Each year since then, Dolfin’s design team has spent lots of time carefully choosing the right prints to keep these suits looking fresh and fun. In 2006, Uglies became available in kids’ sizes as well because of high demand. Then in 2007, the workout 2-piece was introduced as another option for swimmers who just can’t get enough of their Uglies!
Now the nation’s #1 selling practice suit, Uglies continue to grow more popular each season. Most recently featuring colored liners and contrast bindings, these innovative suits are even more appealing to swimmers of all ages.
